A Willis McGahee 57-yard touchdown run and a blown coverage on a 77yard touchdown catch by Lee Evans put the Jets behind, but not that far behind until Chad Pennington threw high, maybe blowing the Jets’ playoff hopes sky high.

“It was indicative of the whole day, being out of rhythm, no excuse for it,” said Pennington.

Jerricho Cotchery reached up, reached back, and managed to tip the ball where only Nate Clements could catch it and return it 42 yards for a touchdown.

And that might have been the Jets’ season, unless they get help in the final three weeks, which of course begins with them helping themselves, which, in turn, begins with Pennington.

“Lack of execution always starts with the quarterback,” said the quarterback. “I did not set us up for positive plays and positive execution and that’s frustrating to me, but I’ll fix it.”

If the Jaguars and Bengals win out, it’s already too late to fix it. The Dolphins shut out the Patriots yesterday, not exactly promising a Merry Christmas day in Miami for the Jets in a game they will have to win, but only if they first win Sunday in Minnesota.

Any margin for error disappeared yesterday on two big plays allowed by the defense, not just on Pennington’s interception and a later fumble. But if he had played better, his team still could have won.

Pennington completed 22 of 35 for 182 yards, brought the Jets right back from an early 7-0 deficit with a 10-yard touchdown strike to Laveranues Coles. Still, the two interceptions – the other by London Fletcher-Baker with the game already lost – weren’t the only times the quarterback was off.

Following a dominating secondhalf against Houston and a perfect first half in Green Bay, after outplaying Brett Favre and, four weeks ago, Tom Brady, too, Pennington’s performance yesterday was surprising. Then again, in a season in which he has thrown for more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (14), maybe it wasn’t surprising after all.

“I have to be more consistent and make sure that week-in, week-out I’m putting my team in good position to win,” he said. “You can’t put your team in a bind and that’s what I did.”

He had help. Down only 21-13, D’Brickashaw Ferguson was beaten cleanly by Aaron Schobel, whose blindside hit allowed a Ryan Denney recovery.

“I just need to hang onto the ball with two hands,” insisted Pennington, whether that was plausible or not.

Of course, it also was entirely possible for the defense to finally rise, but it didn’t, leaving tight end Robert Royal wide open underneath for the put-away touchdown. But the cerebral quarterback knows the score and wasn’t going to pass the buck.

He won a game in Buffalo in Week 3 when he took seven sacks, lost one yesterday against the same team while taking four. Under pressure from a Buffalo defense that the Jets praised more than the Bills’ season stats suggested they should have, Pennington scrambled well for a couple first downs. He still kept the Jets moving until he screwed up, helping them all to mess up, for reasons unclear.

“Sometimes you have a sense for what went on and sometimes you don’t and I’m kind of at that point right now,” said guard Pete Kendall. “I looked up at one point and we had run the ball for 120 yards in the third quarter, and it didn’t feel like that.”

The Jets weren’t overconfident, weren’t suddenly overwhelmed with playoff possibilities, weren’t anything but suddenly prone yesterday to giving up big plays. Two were surrendered by their quarterback, who had been on a roll and, just as he bounced back from throwing two picks in a whitewash by Chicago, won’t roll over now. But it might now be too little, too late.